


Rising Phoenix

by seeking_melody



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, As many characters as I can fit in damn it, Cannon Divergence, F/M, M/M, Naruto is Just Naruto, Time Travel, basically naruto dies in the final battle, is pretty freaked out cause he thinks he's trapped in a genjutsu, redoing the series, they deserve a happy childhood, wakes up in his body before the beginning of the story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-06-19 19:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15516651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seeking_melody/pseuds/seeking_melody
Summary: After the battle with Kaguya, Naruto finally convinced Sasuke to return to Konoha. They've both lost an arm but it's worth it, until they realize Naruto's lost his life as well. He wakes up as a little kid, alone and weak. Naruto thinks he's trapped in an impressive genjutsu, so maybe Kaguya succeeded after all, or Sasuke's playing a prank on him, but he can't escape this genjutsu and is once again faced with scenes of his childhood.





	1. Death

Sasuke lunged towards Naruto, chidori crackling as his furious eyes meet determined ones. 

"Chidori!"

"Rasengan!"

The two forces met and blasted everything away. 

When Sasuke came too, he and Naruto were lying on the ground. The day had long since become the night.

"You've finally come to, eh." Naruto said.

"Ow..." Sasuke grimaced at the pain he could feel. He had always endured great amounts of physical pain and was able to stay passive when many others could not. This, however, was on a magnitude greater than he had ever felt before. He was missing his left arm.

"As you can see... if either of us moves too much, we'll bleed out and die."

Sasuke looked at him, unable to understand. "Why do you go that far...? Why do all that just to get in my way?" He couldn't understand. After all this time, just why...?

"I... gained the power to enter darkness and sever all ties." All except for two, and one of them died by his hand. "And naturally everyone's tried to cut their ties to me too, at some point. Except for you. You've never attempted to cut me off... No matter what. Why do you keep involving yourself with me!?" Why wouldn't he just leave. Leave like everyone else did!

"You know already, don't you? Now that your body can't move, your mouth sure is moving a lot." 

But Sasuke didn't understand. He couldn't. "Just answer me!!" He demanded.

"Cuz you're my friend."

Sasuke glared at the blond. That couldn't be it. Just for friendship? After all those times he'd try to cut Naruto off, there was no reason for Naruto to still try to help him.

"You've said that before... but what exactly... does that mean to you?"

"You ask me to explain it, but honestly it's not like I really understand it either." At least they were on the same page for that. "Just that when I see you take on stuff and get all messed up... it kinda hurts. It hurts... inside so much I just can't leave it alone!"

Sasuke's eyes widened. That was something he had felt for the blond, once upon a time. A sensation he tried to cut off over the years- something he was trying to avoid at all costs. Yet the blond had kept those emotions. Kept feeling hurt when Sasuke dragged himself deeper into the darkness.

"Though today I'm in a lot of pain everywhere." Naruto tried to grin and hissed out sounds of pain.

Sasuke reflected back on his childhood, to a much younger version of Naruto and himself. He recalled when he felt for Naruto, just like Naruto felt for him all these years. He was fond of Naruto before they knew each other, and much more so when they became a part of team 7. Those innocent feelings became tainted with jealousy and eventually hatred, though he couldn't quite bring himself to truly hate Naruto. Despite everything, Naruto still knew him best. 

All this time, he spent trying to be an avenger, aiming for destruction towards everything and destroying himself in the process, when all along, the path he should have taken- wanted to take was trying to get him back.

The two drifted off into oblivion again, waking up a few hours later.

"Ung, where are we? This isn't heaven, is it...?!"

That was impossible. Naruto would certainly get into heaven, but Sasuke would not. "Looks like we fell asleep and slept all night. We've failed to die again."

"G-gah!" Naruto yelled, outraged. "I still can't move my body. I was hoping to clobber you and make you finally really open your eyes!"

At the ridiculous declaration, Sasuke laughed, unable to help himself. The blond was impossible.

"Wh-what's so funny?!"

Sasuke smiled for the first time in a long time. He was in more pain than he had ever felt before, but he couldn't remember a time when he felt happier. Was that Naruto's idiocy rubbing off on him? "We're all messed up, and you still want to fight?"

"Of course!! No matter how many times it takes!" 

"I admit it..." Sasuke finally said. He would give the blond this, and perhaps put himself a little closer to his right path. "That... I've lost."

"Fool!! This fight isn't about winning or losing!! It's about punching a sulking friend and making him snap out of it!!" That was a light way to summarize years of Sasuke's life, dedicated to revenge and destruction. "It's about punching a friend and making him snap out of it!! The real match that I want comes after that!!"

"Hey, Naruto..."

"Huh?"

"I've acknowledged you now... If I die here, the long cycle of destiny the sage of six paths mentioned will probably end as well. This is a type of revolution too. You can undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi after I'm dead... By transplanting my left eye into Kakashi or someone else." Yes, Sasuke would atone with his life. It would be a small atonement, but it would prevent him from destroying anything anymore. "I... will put an end to myself."

"Don't you dare!" Naruto immediate rebuked. "You dying ain't gonna settle things. If you'd go that far, then live and help me instead!"

What an easy dream the blond spoke of, but there was too much hatred and anger towards Sasuke. No one would accept him, least of all near their next hokage.

"What I wanna do is get all shinobi to cooperate with each other, including you, of course!!"

"Just because you want that doesn't mean others will agree to it." Sasuke knew about the conflicts between clans who didn't trust each other more than anyone. His clan had perished for it.

"Yeesh! Fine, go ahead, keep sulking and whining... I'll beat you up again!"

It was an impossible dream... Yet Sasuke wanted it to happen. He wanted to live in the dream Naruto envisioned.

"There's no guarantee I won't stand again you again." Sasuke warned, trying to get his friend to see reason.

"Then I'll stop you again!! Actually I know you're not gonna do that kind of thing anymore!"

"..." How Sasuke wished he could be certain of that too. "How can you say that? How can you be so sure?"

"Don't make me keep repeating myself!! Do you still not understand anything?! Now that I think about it, you were always pretty stupid too!" Naruto shouted, entirely unsatisfied. He looked over at Sasuke, planning on knocking some more sense into him, but stopped when he saw his tears. It seems his words had finally gotten through to his friend. Sasuke was no longer lost in the darkness, not when he could see Naruto waiting for him.

"Shut up... you buffoon." Sasuke said, not meaning a single word.

The two friends were finally at peace.

After a while, Sasuke spoke up. "Hey Naruto, if I had stayed in the village, do you think...?" He had gained enough strength back to notice something terribly unsettling. He couldn't feel Naruto's chakra.

"Hey Naruto. Usuratonkachi!" No no no! Why now!? After everything they went through. Naruto couldn't be-

Sakura landed a few feet away from the two ninjas. "What's going on? Naruto, you-" She cut herself off, determined not to cry, and focused all of her chakra on bringing their sun back.

"You can't die yet. Not when you've finally brought Sasuke back." She didn't need to ask Sasuke to know. One look at his expression was more than what she needed to figure it out, but she had more pressing matters to attend to.

Naruto was already dead.


	2. Konoha of Seven-Year Olds

Naruto woke up to a weirdly familiar wall, nostalgic and yet foreign. Was he in the hospital at Konoha? How long had he been unconscious? And what was that _smell_?

“Ugh Sasuke, you better not have run away while I was-” Naruto froze at the sight of his right arm. In fact, not only did he still have his right arm, it was much shorter than he remembered. His eyes continued to look around, to the messes he had lived with for most of his childhood and the piles of garbage and empty instant ramen cups. This was impossible. His old place had been destroyed during Nagato’s attack and he hadn’t spent enough time in his place to make these messes. He had been too busy training and out of the village. Not to mention how everything looked different now- bigger than he was used to, but with a touch of familiarity from years ago.

He tumbled off the bed, not used to shorter and frailer limbs. Naruto started walking to towards the bathroom, before breaking into a sprint and stumbling around the piles of trash. He tripped over an orange shirt but kept going, refusing to slow down.

He finally makes it to the bathroom and had to stand on his tip-toes to look into the mirror at his shocked, seven-year old self.

“Sasuke!” He yelled. “Is this some kind of joke!?”

He tried to shock his system with a bit of chakra to escape the genjutsu, but nothing came out. Confused, he lifted his shirt to investigate the kyuubi seal and found a five-prong seal on top of his dad’s double tetragram seal with an eight-sign seal.

He vaguely recalled Jiraiya-sensei talking about it before. He suspected Orochimaru placed the odd-numbered seal on top of the even-numbered seal to prevent Naruto from mastering his chakra. It would make capturing the kyuubi easier if its jinchuuriki wasn’t able to master any jutsus, or at the very most, low-level jutsus.

Luckily, he didn’t need chakra to meditate and talk to Kurama.

Naruto plopped down on the floor in a lotus position and closed his eyes. He concentrated on his breathing, the steady movement in and out. His breaths became slower as he focused more on the sensation of breathing. In and out. He could feel heightened awareness of his chakra, of himself, and eventually, he was in front of Kurama within his mind chamber.

“Kurama!” He grinned, relieved to see a familiar sight. “I need some chakra to break us out of this genjutsu. Can you give me some?”

The nine-tailed fox snorted. “You don’t need to ask for that sorta thing. I’d give it any day, but Naruto, this isn’t your typical genjutsu. It’s one thing to change your surroundings, but to change your perception of your own body… We’re not dealing with a regular genjutsu here. It’s more like a dream, or…” The fox’s eyes widened.

“What is it?” Naruto asked.

“Something that can’t be possible.” The fox replied. “It’ll be hard to give you my chakra with that unstable seal combination, but you’ll be able to control it. It won’t be harder than learning the rasengan. Don’t do something stupid for once. This world is just like ours from ten years ago, and you’re in no shape to deal with even the weakest gennin in your current condition, so hurry up and get rid of that snake’s seal.” With that, Kurama flicked Naruto’s forehead and he was kicked out of his own mind chamber.

“Owwww.” Naruto grimaced, rubbing his unbruised forehead. What was Kurama keeping from him? He’d have to find out later. True to his word, Kurama was directly a steady stream of chakra to Naruto, which he confined to his fingertips.

Water, metal, earth, fire, wood. Naruto channeled each of the element’s distinct chakra in his five fingertips and touched them to his stomach.

“Five prong seal release!” He yelled and blasted himself into the wall behind him.

“Gah.” He grumbled. “Stupid unstable mixing of seals.” But at least he was able to use his chakra stably now.

He weaved multiple hand signs. “Bushin no jutsu!” Two shadow clones appeared before him and helped him to his feet.

“Rasengan!” Naruto began creating the spinning ball of chakra while his two clones helped stabilize it. It was regular sized, but his chakra reserves were much smaller than he was used to. He’d be able hold out in a fight against a gennin, thanks to his experience, but he’d be crushed by a chuunin. His taijutsu levels would be much worse.

He had to get stronger, but he couldn’t train in his apartment. His landlady would not take kindly to that, even in a genjutsu.

It was time to head to the training grounds.

Naruto dug through the piles of clothes and held up a familiar tan shirt with the Uzumaki symbol on it. He hated the memories associated with it, but it also comes with a weird sense of nostalgia. It reminds him of the time he first saw Sasuke, alone by the riverside.

He changed into the familiar outfit and rushed out the door. He had finally succeeded in bring Sasuke back and he wanted to get back to his reality as soon as possible. He didn’t want to feel this weird nostalgia, and the painful memories that he had already cried over ever again. He finally _succeeded_ , damn it.

He ran past many villagers, younger than he remembered, and with eyes full of hatred and terror directed at him- no, at Kurama, for an event neither of them could control.

If this was some _stupid_ , complicated, last ditch effort to convince Naruto to see the world like Sasuke did, he was going to punch the living daylights out of that teme.

Naruto sped through the village to his favourite remote training grounds and kicked a tree. Leaves rustled down and were promptly pinned to other trees with kunai.

He lifted his head, electric blue eyes blazing.

“As if I'll let this get me down, fool! Just you wait, I'll come back stronger than ever!!” Naruto shouted.

Nearby, a small girl with cropped indigo hair and pale irises watched him, concerned, Naruto was unusually stirred up today.

Naruto sped off into the trees, faster than Hinata could follow. He threw a kunai and tried to switch with it, but he was too slow. He threw another and another, keeping up this game of cat and mouse with himself, when he felt a familiar, yet unfamiliar chakra approaching him at a rapid pace, chasing what seemed to be... a cat?

A small cat with golden fur and emerald-rich eyes burst through the cover of leaves, followed closely by a small boy with black hair and an excited glint in his black eyes.

What the heck- was all that ran through Naruto's head before the cat bowled into him and knocked them both down.

Naruto hugged the cat to his body and fell into a pile of leaves while Sasuke gracefully hopped from branch to branch before eventually landing on the ground. He walked over to Naruto, frowning.

“Why are you chasing a cat?” Naruto asked, incredulous.

“Hand over Ritsuo.” Sasuke demanded.

The two boys glared at each other as the wind blew scattered leaves by. Naruto was the first to break the silence.

“I'll think about handing her over if you tell me why you're hunting down this poor cat.”

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, appearing majorly pissed off despite not looking much older than Naruto.

“It's a top-secret mission, so it's none of your business. If you won’t hand him over, I'll take him by force.” Sasuke reached for a kunai.

“Mission!?” Naruto twisted his face in confusion.

Sasuke had been a rogue ninja for the past eight years. He couldn't possibly be on any sort of mission- unless it was self-assigned.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, “Yes, mission. Did you hit your head too hard when you fell or are you always this dumb?”

Naruto scrambled to his feet, still holding the cat. “Teme! You don't have to be so rude about it! Does your mission have something to do with this genjutsu?”

Now it was Sasuke’s turn to look confused. “Genjutsu? Ritsuo might be a strong cat-nin but he's not capable of genjutsu. Besides, you're just a kid. What would you know about genjutsus?”

“Stop treating me like some idiot! We're the same age, ya know!” Naruto yelled.

Sasuke didn't look like he believed him.

“Whatever. Just hold him still so I can get his pawprint.” Sasuke took out a scroll and stamp.

“What do you need that for?” Naruto furrowed his brows.

Sasuke sighed in exasperation. “My mission. We've been through this already.” He pressed a paw into the stamp, then onto the scroll.

“I got that part! I meant what do you need her-”

“Him.” Sasuke interrupted.

“I know a female cat when I see one! what do you need her paw print for?”

Sasuke froze. “This is a female. What the-”

“That’s what I've been trying to tell you-”

“Shaddup.” Sasuke narrowed his eyes and stared at Naruto intently.

Naruto glared back at Sasuke.

Sasuke spoke slowly, "I'm going to let you in my top-secret mission, but only if you obey my every order."

Naruto was outraged at the condition.

“Are you in or not?”

“Of course I am!”

“Then follow me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me...
> 
> For half our childhood and all of our teenage years haha get it? 
> 
> I'll see myself out now.


	3. Not My Sasuke

Naruto set the cat down and leapt after Sasuke.

"Can you tell me what you're up to already?" Naruto huffed, disgruntled, as he followed Sasuke through the forest canopy.

Sasuke touched down on a branch and jumped to another. "I've been tracking a highly skilled cat-nin by the name of Ritsuo. He is a master of disguise, easily blending into crowds with the mask of a civilian cat. He is the only male cat in this village with yellow fur and green eyes."

"That sounds easy. Why is it taking you so long to find him?" Sasuke was a top-notch tracker, with years of experience from trying to hunt down Itachi. There was no way a cat was giving him this much trouble.

Sasuke's eye twitched. "I had him cornered but he switched last minute and ran into the forest. He must have changed places with the female cat then. He's the youngest of quadruplets, and his three sisters look identical to him. They all have similar techniques, but it's Ritsuo I want."

"Hmm." Naruto looked like he was thinking about something hard.

"If you have something to say, then say it!"

"Afterwards... We should go get ramen! Just you and me!" Naruto grinned.

The question caught Sasuke off guard. "Why?"

"You know, to celebrate!"

"Hn." Sasuke smiled. "No, I can't. I have to train."

"Then I'll train with you! And we'll get ramen after that." Naruto insisted.

"Ramen, ramen, ramen. Is that all you think about?" Sasuke said with a big smile on his face.

"Hey!" Naruto objected. "I'll have you know that ramen is the best food in the world! Believe it!"

Sasuke stopped and stared at Naruto, incredulous." No way. Tomatoes are a thousand times better."

Naruto stopped and stared back. "You're joking. Have you forgotten what Ichiraku ramen tastes like!?"

Sasuke glared at him. "First of all, tomatoes are better than any form of ramen. Second, I've never-"

Both ninja freeze, listening attentively to happy munching sounds.

"Mmm. This smoked fish is absolutely delectable! Ten outta ten worth letting that Uchiha kid think he cornered me. MmmMMmmmmMMM!"

The two ninjas crept up silently on the male cat, fully distracted by the tasty fish. Sasuke pulled out kunai and whipped them at the cat.

"Eh!?" Ritsuo looked around at the loose circle of kunai before fixing his green eyes on Sasuke.

"You! Nee-san was supposed to distracted you for at least another hour! How did you figure it out?"

One of the kunai behind Ritsuo disappeared in a flash of smoke. Naruto emerged and headbutted the cat as he turned around, knocking Ritsuo unconscious as he fell to the ground with his eyes swirling.

"It's because I was by his side." Naruto announced triumphantly.

"You're saying that to someone can't hear you, dobe." Sasuke took out his stamp and extra scroll.

"You heard me!" Naruto protested as he lifted Ritsuo's paw and stamped his paw print on the scroll.

"There wasn't any point in my hearing it since I already knew." Sasuke rolled up the scroll.

"Yeah yeah." Naruto grumbled, "it is great to have you back too, teme. Let's go train!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. For someone who seem to only have ramen on his mind a moment ago, he sure was fixated on training with Sasuke.

"Not yet. I need to give this scroll to nii-san."

Naruto paled, looking mildly sick. "Ni-Nii-san?"

"Yes, Itachi-nii-san." Sasuke didn't understand why he looked appalled. Why was he scared of his big brother?

Naruto was scanning his eyes and body language, looking for some sort of sign. He wanted to know how Sasuke felt, seeing a young version of his beloved, late brother. To an outsider, Sasuke looked nonchalant, like he didn’t care. Naruto knew him much better than that. Sasuke looked happy- proud even. He looked ecstatic about seeing Itachi.

"Alright." Naruto nodded warily. If Sasuke wanted to enjoy the genjutsu a bit longer before heading back to the real Konoha, he'd stay with him for as long as necessary. Time passed differently in a genjutsu, so they could take their time. The danger was in never wanting to leave the genjutsu. but Naruto was here to pull Sasuke back if necessary. He didn't want to stay in the past when everyone was still suffering and hated him, even if it's only a genjutsu.

"Yosh, lets go." They took off in the direction of the Uchiha compound.

Sasuke didn't like the way the blond was looking at him. It was the same look Itachi-nii-san gave him sometimes: melancholy and frustration, like he was seeing Sasuke somewhere else and not really looking at Sasuke in front of him. No, that wasn't quite the case, Sasuke realized. This boy was looking right at him, and somehow also deep inside him., as if the boy in front of him understood him better than anyone else.

But that wasn't possible. Sasuke decided he was thinking too much. The kid before him couldn't be that sophisticated. Not when he was going on about ramen just a few moments ago.

Sasuke landed next to an accessory cart and studied the trinkets closely.

"Uh," Naruto settled next to him. "What are you doing?"

There were rows of Uchiha fan necklaces, mini Iucky cat statues, vegetable charms- oh tomato charms, that explained everything.

" ... You want the tomato charm, don't you."

"W-what? Don't be ridiculous."

Naruto crossed his arms.

"Of course, I don't want such child-geh- that's none of your business!" Sasuke sputtered, entirely planning on asking Itachi for the charm as a prize for getting Ritsuo's pawprint,

"You suck at lying," Naruto informed Sasuke.

Sasuke chose not to grace that with a comeback.

"Sasuke!" A young, feminine voice called out. Naruto turned and saw a beautiful lady with long black hair, gentle demeanor, and two bags of groceries. "Is this a new friend?"

The lady looked down at Naruto and smiled gently. "Hello there, I'm Sasuke's mom. Thank you for taking good care of Sasuke."

It felt as if a more graceful and female version of Itachi was entrusting Sasuke to him again.

"Of course. That’s what friends are for!" Naruto grinned. If his mom was alive, he was sure she'd be good friends with Sasuke's mom.

"I'll help you with that." Sasuke took one of Mikoto's bags.

"Be careful, dear. That's heavy."

Sasuke almost dropped the bag on the ground. Naruto involuntarily snickered.

"I'll help too, Mrs. Uchiha!" Naruto declared and took the other bag.

"Thank you, but this bag is heavier."

Naruto nearly dropped the bag too, and he distinctly heard Sasuke's muffled laughter.

... He probably deserved that.

"Thank you, boys, I'll leave it to you then." Mi Koto smiled at the two struggling boys. She wanted to carry the bags herself and not burden them, but they had already turned it into a competition and she didn't want to get in the way of their blossoming friendship. She lead the way as Naruto and Sasuke trailed behind.

Naruto leaned in close to Sasuke and whispered, "how does she make it look so easy, carrying all of it in one hand?"

"Mothers are the strongest." Sasuke replied.

Naruto thought of his own mother and agreed. Mothers were definitely the strongest.

"Give me something from your bag." Sasuke whispered.

"What? Why?"

"Mom said your bag is heavier, so you have to give me something from your bag to carry."

"It's fine. I can carry it myself!" Naruto was not going to complain about how heavy the bag was and how the straps were digging into the crevices in his fingers.

"Teme, just hand something over!" Sasuke hissed.

"No way! I can do it!" Naruto insisted.

"Is something the matter?" Mikoto had turned around to see her son leaning on Naruto as he tried to reach Naruto's bag and Naruto trying to keep the bag out of Sasuke's reach with one hand while pushing Sasuke's head away with the other. Once they realized she was watching, they quickly jumped away from each other, showcasing the picture of faked innocence.

"Nothing's wrong, Mrs. Uchiha! We're doing great!"

Mikoto smiled. It looked like Naruto had inherited Kushina's complete inability to lie. How cute.

Naruto shuddered, looking scared for his life.

"'Mrs. Uchiha' is too formal. Call me, Aunty." She held a hand out to each of the boys. "Thank you for carrying the groceries for me, but we're almost there and I can take care of the rest."

Her gentle smile was the picture of serendipity, but her aura left no space for argument. They handed the bags back to Mikoto numbly and all three of them continued down the street.

"What the heck was that?" Naruto whispered.

"Moms are the scariest. "Sasuke replied, and Naruto agreed wordlessly.

They were almost at Sasuke's place when Itachi and another Uchiha appeared in front of them.

"Nii-san! Shisui-san!" Sasuke ran up to them." Are you back from your mission?"

"Not quite." Itachi poked Sasuke's forehead.

"Could you come for a walk with us?" Shisui smiled at Naruto kindly.

In the genjutsu's timeline, the Uchiha clan slaughter hadn't happened yet, so tensions must still be high after the nine-tails attack eight years ago. Of course, the anbu would have been on high alert when Naruto entered the Uchiha compound.

However, Shisui was alive here. From what Naruto remembered, Shisui's death was a trigger for rapidly degrading relations between the council and the Uchiha cIan. If Shisui had lived, maybe the clan slaughter could have been avoided entirely.

Not that it mattered. This was a genjutsu, not the past. Right now, Naruto was a kid with no known way to defend himself. Even if he got Kurama's help, he could be surrounded by enemies with the means to extract and kill him. He wasn't ready to die yet. Naruto had to become Hokage and change the system that destroyed lives in the real world.

Now would be a good time to dispel the genjutsu. Naruto looked at Sasuke to tell him that, but all he saw was a confused, worried child clinging to the pant leg of his older brother.

Sasuke?

Naruto finally pinpointed the source of his uneasiness with the familiar but also unfamiliar Sasuke.

This wasn't the Sasuke he chased for most of his life and finally caught.

This was the Sasuke before his family was murdered by his brother- a Sasuke who hadn't experienced the mangekyou sharingan first hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ramen is better than tomatoes though. Sorry (not sorry) Sasuke. You're not winning this one. I don't even care if you pout at me. *covers eyes*


	4. Shisui and Itachi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve started changing characters/events to better fit this story, so if you read something that you don’t recall from cannon, it’s probably because it didn’t happen lol

Naruto looked terrified and Sasuke didn't know why.

Suddenly, Naruto stared at Sasuke, desperately looking for something, but what? Sasuke clung to Itachi, intimidated by the intensity of the stare.

Then, Naruto's head drooped and the life seemed to have gone out of him. Something in Sasuke's chest hurt at the sight. This wasn't natural for the blond.

"Child," Mikoto spoke gently as she crouched down."What's your name?"

Naruto look at her with sad, blue eyes. "Naruto."

"Naruto, my son and his cousin want to take a walk with you. They're nice boys and they wont hurt you, right boys?" She smiled at Shisui and Itachi.

"That's right, Aunty!" Shisui said cheerfully. "We just want to get to know Sasuke's new friend."

"Hh." Itachi nodded.

"Well, there you have it, Naruto. You'll be safe with these boys. What do you think?" Naruto nodded slowly and walked over to Shisui.

"Naruto,"Sasuke called desperately. He felt an almost overwhelming fear that he'd never see the blond again. "I'll see you later. You promised to train with me, remember!"

Naruto smiled, and a little light flickered back on in his eyes." That's right, and I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way!” Naruto gave Sasuke a thumbs up.

Mikoto and Sasuke watched their backs until they disappeared around the corner. Sasuke wanted to ask why they took Naruto away but fell silent at the unmistakable expression of worry on his mother's face.

He'd have to ask Naruto later.

"Mom, I'll help you unpack the groceries!"

Mikoto snapped out of her trance and looked at her youngest son.

"Yes dear, that would be lovely, thank you."

At least her youngest child was still safe from the politics of the village. She prayed for Naruto’s well-being, wishing she could do more for her best friend’s son but was strictly forbidden from approaching him in any form or manner. Even if the Hokage allowed it, she couldn’t put that scrutiny on her clan when they were already looked badly upon. Not to mention reckless members of her clan could be tempted to use Naruto in a foolish attempt to get back at the village.

  
- 

“What do you think of the village?” Shisui asked as they walked down a wide path in the forest. Naruto recognized it as the path to the Hokage tower, directing him away from the Uchiha compound.

“Right now it sucks, but that’s all going to change when I become Hokage.” Naruto stated firmly.

Shisui raised an eyebrow. “That’s a big dream you have there. You sound quite confident.”

It was more than confidence. Naruto’s eyes held a steadfast determination that spoke of experience.

“I can’t be Hokage if I don’t believe in myself.” Who would believe in him if he didn’t at least believe in himself? Naruto didn’t just help people- he restored their hope with his iron-clad determination.

Shisui hummed in agreement.

"But you know, you'll have to be more than just confident to become Hokage. The Hokage is someone respected and acknowledged by the village. You think you can handle that?" Shisui watched the small, blond boy's reaction carefully; he felt a strange need to test him- to ensure Naruto would not fall like others before him.

"Of course. I'll protect everyone, and I'll have great friends by my side to keep me on the right track!” Naruto's determined eyes bore into Shisui's and the teenager laughed.

"That's right! I have a feeling you're going to make a great Hokage one day."Shisui grinned and held out his fist.

Naruto bumped his fist into Shisui's and grinned back.

They're like two peas in a pod, Itachi thought, despite their age difference and clan backgrounds. It was a shame the blond boy was the kyuubi’s jinchuuriki, otherwise Shisui would have surely taken him in as the younger brother he always wanted.

"So Naruto, how'd you meet Sasuke?" Shisui asked while ruffling Naruto's hair.

"Hey!" Naruto laughed, feeling like a child with the rough but gentle hand on his head. “I was training when this cat came out of nowhere and hit me. Turns out Sasuke was trying to get her paw print for a mission but he was chasing down the wrong cat and he needed my help to find the right cat because he’s an idiot and can’t tell a female cat from a male cat and then he said he was going to train so obviously I said I was going to train with him and then we’re going to Ichiraku’s later!” Naruto took a deep breath in and grinned brightly. Something about the older Uchiha felt familiar and comfortable. No wonder Itachi had told him the outcome might have been entirely different if Shisui had lived.

Twelve year old Itachi blinked. He didn’t think it was possible to say so much in one breath. He chuckled and patted Naruto’s head, and it was as if Naruto had two older brothers.

It was a shame this was all a genjutsu.

“We can’t keep you for too long then.” Itachi said wisely. “Sasuke doesn’t have a lot of patience.”

Naruto snorted. “No kidding! He just does his own thing without any regard for other people. As if I’ll let him get away with that!”

Shisui laughed. “That certainly sounds like our Sasuke. You’ve spoiled him, Itachi.”

“Not really.” Itachi replied.

“When was the last time you scolded him?” Shisui raised an eyebrow.

Itachi chose not to respond to that.

“Can I go now?” Naruto asked, his blue eyes big and round.

“You prefer Sasuke over us that much, huh?” Shisui teased.

“Obviously.” Naruto stuck out his tongue. “I don’t wanna hang out with a bunch of old people.”

“I’m only fifteen!” Shisui protested indignantly.

“That’s, like, super old.” Naruto deadpanned.

Itachi chuckled while Shisui made more sounds of indignation.

Nothing here was real, and yet Naruto still wanted to make a difference. He didn’t want these people to suffer as they had in the real world.

“You guys are alright. I’ve decided. I like you! So I’m gonna tell you a secret to keep you from getting too many wrinkles.” Naruto waved Shisui down and whispered into his ear with his hand hiding his mouth so that none of the anbu watching them could hear or read his lips. “Watch out for Danzo. He wants to bring down the Uchiha clan. He’s after your eyes.”

Shisui kept his expression carefully controlled as he listened to the jinchuuriki.

“How do I know it’ll work? What if this is some trick to give me more wrinkles?” He teased lightly. Can you prove what you’re saying is true? Why should I trust you?

“You don’t. You’ll just have to trust me.” Naruto replied firmly, meeting Shisui’s eyes with his own steady gaze. It was up to him now what to do with the invaluable information.

Naruto’s stomach grumbled and he rubbed his tummy, acting like the child he was supposed to be. “I’m so hungry I could eat a mega-large bowl of ramen! You guys know how to find me if you want more beauty tips! See ya!” Naruto ran away, leaving an Uchiha in deep thought while the other wondered what Naruto had whispered into his friend’s ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would anyone be interested in seeing my Naruto sketches?
> 
> Edit: [here it is](https://flowingmelody.tumblr.com/post/177075576084/joins-the-fandom-ten-years-late-hey-whatd-i)


	5. I'll Save Them All!

Naruto felt better after talking to Shisui. He had a grounding presence- one that wrapped around your heart with warmth and reassurance. Is this what having an older brother felt like? Naruto wondered and thought of Iruka-sensei. Nah, Iruka-sensei was more like a dad, or an uncle.

His stomach growled louder and Naruto hurried to Ichiraku ramen, mouth slightly watering at the thought of the delicious ramen.

He could feel familiar, and yet unfamiliar chakras all around him. He now recognized it was because their chakras were younger, less experienced, less wise.

He pinpointed a familiar presence dear to him, sitting inside the ramen shop. Naruto brushed aside the cloth at the entrance and grinned.

"Hey, old man!" He greeted the third Hokage.

"Naruto." The Sandaime was mildly surprised, something that only people close to him could pick up on. The anbu watching Naruto must have informed him about Naruto being in the Uchiha compound, hence Shisui and Itachi showing up, and then about Naruto heading to Ichiraku ramen, but he must not have expected Naruto to greet him so cheerfully.

They hadn't been on the best of terms when they last spoke and Sarutobi had refused to divulge any information about Naruto's parents. He gave the child his monthly allowance, warned him to spent it wisely, and left. If Minato saw him now, he'd surely be disappointed.

"Hey, hey." Naruto edged towards the old man on his stool. He opened his mouth and suddenly looked unsure of himself.

"Are you getting ramen too?" Naruto finally said just as Irchiraku announced, "miso chashu ramen!" and slid the steaming bowl to the Hokage.

"Guess so, huh? Hey, can I get a bowl of miso chashu too?"Naruto grinned at the owner.

He grinned back, "coming right up! Miso chashu!"

Naruto turned back to Sarutobi. "This is the number one ramen shop in Konoha! Though you're probably already figured that out."

"Indeed." Sarutobi replied. "Did something good happen to you today? You look happy."

"Yeah! I met... new friends. I helped a nice lady carry her groceries. I don't think she really needed the help, but she was super nice about it." And I get to see you, stern and grumpy, but alive, Naruto almost added.

Sarutobi liked seeing the boy happy for once. He really did, but... This was for the sake of the village.

"You mustn't go to the Uchiha compound again." He said firmly.

Sarutobi expected the boy to throw a tantrum. He expected childish whines.

Instead, he saw the boy's eyes harden with resolute defiance.

"No." At that moment, Sarutobi saw not a small child, but the shoulders of an experienced ninja, hardened by war and hatreds, and determined not to lose to it.

"I know you fear the Uchiha controlling the Kyuubi inside me to take over this village, but I won't let that happen. I'll end this cycle of hatred. They're only rebelling because they're treated badly by the village for something that's not their fault, just like me. I'll talk to them and help them see reason, but that'll only work with your help. stop the anbu surveillance and treat them like the great people they are. You all want the best for this village, but you need to work together and trust each other or everything falls apart. It's what my father would have wanted."

Sarutobi stared at the boy. He didn't understand what was happening. Was he in a genjutsu? Was this a delusion, or another nightmare?

No, this was cold reality. The boy likely knew everything, or maybe he was manipulated into believing that.

He had met with Shisui before coming here. Perhaps, the powerful Uchiha boy had implanted suggestions into Naruto without any anbu noticing. He was exceptionally gifted- the best in his clan.

Sarutobi had to approached this carefully. He didn't know what other suggestions the boy had absorbed. He could have handed anyone else over to the information corps to extract the information from their mind, but it was dangerous to attack a jinchuuri. The village couldn't stand against another nine-tails attack. The best course of action was to play along for now.

"What ideas do you have in mind? Are there specific members of the Uchiha clan you want us to work with in particular?"Sarutobi probed.

This was too easy. Even Naruto would have been suspicious if a kid came up to him and said what he said, especially when laws had been passed to ensure said kid wouldn't have found out the information he just gave.

"You think I'm being manipulated." Naruto realized.

Sarutobi looked wary. "Someone's been feeding you stories. Could you tell me who, and when they did this?"

"I'm not being manipulated. I'm not from here and... I just want to go home. There's no point in calling anbu or root to subdue me." Naruto Iooked far too weary for a small child." I just want to talk, and they're no match for Kurama and me."

Kurama? Was he the one manipulating Naruto? Sarutobi didn't recall anyone with the name Kurama, but it could be an alias.

At Sarutobi's confusion, Naruto answered, "Kurama's the name of the Kyuubi sealed in me, and he's not a danger. Not anymore. Let me explain."

"Miso chashu!" Ichiraku slid the steaming bowl of ramen in front of Naruto. "Enjoy!" He grinned warmly and it was a comfort in this cold, unfamiliar world.

"Thanks, Mister!" Naruto grinned, and snapped apart a pair of chopsticks. He started devouring the ramen, until the third Hokage started clearing his throat.

Naruto paused, mouth full of ramen. He quickly swallowed." Oh, sorry. Do you mind waiting...? I'm really hungry."

Sarutobi sighed. The situation was ridiculous as is, and Naruto, in true Naruto style, had made it somehow more so. If Minato were alive, how would he handle this?

He had a sinking feeling that this situation wouldn't exist if the Fourth was still alive. It was all the more reason for Sarutobi to retire. If only there was a reliable candidate he could entrust the village to.

Naruto ate like the child he looked like. He had Kushina's fiery spirit and Minato's looks, and Sarutobi would be damned if he didn't find out who was putting dangerous ideas in Naruto's brain and telling him any fragments of the past the Fourth had entrusted him to keep secret.

He discreetly signalled the watching anbu. They needed a sharingan user if this talk went badly, which it would most likely do. The Uchihas couldn't be trusted, at least not without the council's outrage and further ostracism towards that clan.

He had to call someone detached from the Uchiha clan, with fierce loyalty towards the village, and a sharingan in his eye.

One of the hidden presences disappeared, off to fetch the invaluable anbu-nin, as Naruto continued to eat happily.

 _Hey, Kid,_ the fox called. _Are you really going through with this? You're not much of a match for that geezer plus his entourage as you are now. If they call out your bluff, we could be done for. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't want to die in a genjutsu._

Naruto slurped up more noodles and chomped down on a Naruto maki. _Of course!_ He thought back to Kurama. _I can't just stand by. It doesn't matter if this is real or not. I won't allow it to happen again._

 _Always playing the selfless hero, huh._ Kurama snorted.

_Whatever it takes to save everyone, and the Sasuke he met earlier won't leave the village this time. He'll have his family, Itachi,... He won't be lonely and trap himself in the darkness._

_You'll be sucked in. You'll forget all about escaping._ Kurama huffed. _What was it about his host and an obsession with the Uchiha kid?_

_Nope! You'll be here to remind me. We'll need all the help we can get, and who better than the Hokage, the most powerful ninja in Konoha to help us?_

_What if it backfires? What if he decides you're too much of a danger and tries to eliminate you? This isn’t the Konoha that needs you._

_I know. If that time comes, we'll make a break for it. Between you and me, I'm sure we'll figure something out! Besides, it won't come to that. Believe it!_

Kurama sighed. _There's no point in trying to make you see sense. You better make me proud, you hear!?_

 _When have I ever failed?_ Naruto thought, amused.

He drank the last of the soup and patted down his clothes. Oh no.

"Hey..." Naruto smiled sheepishly at the old man. "I, uh...."

The Hokage sighed. "I'll cover you."

Gone was the child of too weary eyes, that had seen many tragedies, as Naruto beamed up. "Thanks, old man!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone wanna talk to me on [tumblr](https://flowingmelody.tumblr.com)?


	6. Information Exchange Pt. 1

Sasuke didn't know what was going on and he didn't like it. Nii-san was supposed to be on some important mission but he suddenly appeared just to take the rowdy boy away.

That meant the blond boy must be related to Nii-san's mission somehow.

Sasuke threw another kunai and it hit the target, dead centre. He should have asked the boy for his name before he left.

He'd seen him around the village a few times but they had never spoken to each other before. Sasuke wanted to talk to him, but it was never the right time. He had a feeling they were similar somehow, that they understood each other.

Especially yesterday. It was as if the other boy was looking into his very mind and soul. It was different, in a way he didn't understand. He was looking at Sasuke but also... someone else? He didn't know how to explain it.

Sasuke ran around the field, throwing kunai from multiple different angles. Most of them hit the target, but a few hit nearby trees and the ground.

Sasuke blamed the blond boy. They should be training together! Then Sasuke could ask the boy his questions instead of feeling more and more confused.

How frustrating.

Sasuke threw another kunai when a throbbing headache hit him. The kunai slowed to almost a stop midair as Sasuke fell to his knees, clutching his head.

He saw fiery determination in the blue eyes of a blond teenager with whiskers on his cheeks, Konoha's headband wrapped around his forehead with its blue ribbon streaming behind him as he pushed a sphere of powerful gales towards Sasuke. Sasuke had his hand raised in a similar manner, lightning streaking out to attack his dear enemy. He needed to destroy his one and only to be truly alone.

Sasuke choked on the intense wave of dark feeling that ripped through him. Fury, frustration, despair, desperation, Ioneliness, guilt, and a tired acceptance. It was too much. His head felt like it was collapsing into mush on the inside.

Then as suddenly as it started, it stopping, leaving Sasuke with phantom pains in his mind and body.

He gasped, tasting the fresh air of Konoha. What just happened? Why did he have the terrible feeling that he tried to kill an older version of the boy he finally spoke to today?

The hidden root agent observed as the Uchiha boy opened his eyes, three commas clearly visible in the red eyes. Nothing visible had befallen the boy, and yet he activated the sharingan. This was worth reporting to Danzo-sama.

-

"Ne, ne, where are we going?" Naruto asked, sulking with his hands behind his head.

The anbu ninja did not answer as he continued towards the edge of the village.

Naruto sighed." How boring, Yamato-taichou, I thought at least you would talk to me."

The man was silent as they passed through the gates; he nodded at the guards, and they continuing to an old, stone building.

"Wow, I don't think I've been here before. Hey, is this where my mom gave birth?"

 _Yes_ , Kurama snorted. It wasn't a good memory.

They stopped a few feet from the entrance when Yamato finally spoke. "How did you know my name?"

"Hmm? You told me. Well, future-outside-here-you told me. We were on a mission together! But I wasn't friends with Kurama yet, so you kept me from going nine-tails beserk with your awesome wood techniques. Man, it's a weird seeing you so young." Naruto unclasped his hands and lowered his arms.

"Is that so?" Yamato's face was expressionless, as all trained ninjas practice.

"Yep! I'd love to work with you again some day! Just not today though, I don't think the old man likes to be kept waiting." Naruto walked into the tunnel-like entrance. "I'll see you later, Yamato-taichou!" Naruto waved goodbye. A gesture that the anbu eventually returned, after Naruto had turned his back on him.

A time-travelling jutsu, huh? Yamato wouldn't be surprised if it did exist. He would like it if the blond child was not chosen to be eliminated. He rather liked being called captain by someone who clearly admired him.

On the inside of the tunnel, Naruto thought, are you ready, Kurama?

Ready as I'll ever be. Good thing you left a few clones at your place, meditating for sage mode.

Naruto hadn't tested sage mode on his young body yet, but he was fairly certain it would hold up. If nothing else, any attackers would hesitate when they see it, and believe him.

Naruto could feel Kurama's chakra being repressed by sealing tags in the walls. It had little effect on the nine-tails' massive chakra reserve though. Did they put these in just for Naruto, or were they there long before his time?

Either way, someone must have expected those seals to detain Naruto to some extent. With Yamato-sensei outside, they covered their bases quite well.

That is, if Naruto was only relying on Kurama. The Uzumaki clan were famous for their large reserves of chakra. Naruto had also inherited his father's rasengan and mastered Sage mode and Kyuubi mode. His taijutsu was far from up to par, but his ninjutsu would hopefully make up for it.

If worst came to worst, he could blast a hole in the building and run away. Simple and easy.

Naruto stepped into the lit room, hiding shadows in its corners. The third Hokage sat at the table in the centre, looking at Naruto intently. At his side was a brooding, young adult with white hair that stood up in vertical tufts. His forehead protector covered his left eye and its sharingan while his dark mask covered the bottom half of his face. He leaned back lazily, one arm slung over the back of his chair.

Other anbu ninja were hidden in the shadows, their chakra signatures glowing in the dark.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto grinned and waved.

"Maa, Naruto." Kakashi addressed lazily, "when did I become your teacher?"

"About ten years ago for me, but for you guys, that'd be in..." Naruto started counting his fingers. "... Three, four, five years!"

He held up his fingers proudly. "Five years from now, Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto will graduate from the ninja academy and become genin under Kakashi-sensei."

Dead silence hung in the air.

"Why are you certain about this course of events?" Kakashi questioned. Ten years ago? Does the kid think he's in a time-travelling manga?

"Because I lived through them." Naruto grinned.

Kakashi groaned internally. The kid does think he is in a time-travelling manga! Great. Just great.

Time to find out what this kid thinks he knows.

"When did you discover these memories of events that hasn't happened yet?" Kakashi inquired.

"When I woke up this morning." Naruto accidentally snickered.

"Maa, what's so funny?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow lazily, still laid back.

"Well, you just look so annoyed!" Naruto laughed. "I haven't seen you look so irritated since-well-ever!" It was probably the same look he wore when Naruto first played a prank on him, but Naruto didn't know his teacher well enough at the time to notice.

The Hokage looked puzzled. He hadn't noticed anything of the sort from the jounin.

No one alive should have been able to figure out the emotions behind his mask of indifference. Kakashi decided on a change in tactics; rather than uncovering the origin of Naruto's fantasies, he would instead discover exactly what he knows.

"Is that so? Why do you think I'm annoyed?" Kakashi leaned back in his chair.

Naruto hummed, appearing to be deep in thought. He crossed his arms.

"It's the way you're sitting. No, it's the way you look at me? It's hard to explain, but I can just tell, you know!" Naruto pointed at the silver-haired ninja.

Kakashi recalled a distant memory, when he was tired of Obito's provocations. and chose to ignore him.

_"Hey, bastard! I know you're pissed off at me! That mask of yours doesn't hide a thing, ya know!" The angry Uchiha failure pointed at Kakashi._

What a strange thing it was to be told almost the same thing a decade later by a kid in a hilariously inappropriate setting. Obito would have never been brought in for questioning, and certainly not with a handle-with-utmost-care label.

"You seem to know me quite well, Naruto. What's the big news you've brought from the future?"

"About that... I didn't choose to come here, so I want your help to get back." Naruto had a determined glint in his eyes.

"A trade then. Information for resources to get you home." Kakashi outlined.

"That sounds about right." Naruto nodded.

It was easy to fulfill, so long as Naruto wasn't actually from the future.

"Hokage-sama?" Kakashi prompted.

Sarutobi nodded sternly. "It's a deal. I give you my word."

"Then let's start with Konoha's Uchiha clan. They're innocent. I'll begin with the truth of the nine-tails attack seven years ago."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be the person Naruto sees in you.
> 
> Edit: Thanks to Kitsu3 for correcting me! Team 7 became genin under Kakashi, not Chuunin as I previously wrote.
> 
> Edit 2: This chapter bored even me and I honestly wasn't expecting your wonderful comments. Thank you all so much you amazing people <3


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